Page 72 of Wanted: Rogues and Bards

Out came another needle and the dry ingredients tested. “Hm, yes, also fine. Now, add in a cup of milk.”

“Interesting,” Malfas murmured. “And confusing.”

“What is?” Maxie froze as he pulled the container of milk from the tiny icebox in the corner powered by an artificer’s charm.

“Well, I was expecting there to be a sign of poison. When you were making baked apples for Bel, you’d only mixed sugar and cinnamon with the apples, but he died after stealing one of the apple pieces from the bowl,” Malfas said while scratching his head.

“Oh. That. I forgot to mention that while everyone was talking, I’d also added some melted butter to the mixture to make everything stick.”

Malfas and Lirion looked at each other from across the room and, at the same time, said, “Heat!”

The warlock proceeded to do a little dance in the small galley, shaking his club over his head and scaring Maxie over to Fenric’s side.

“Is he okay? Is he having a fit?” Maxie asked in a harsh whisper.

Fenric snorted so hard he choked. “No, this is his celebration dance.”

“Don’t worry, Puppy. This is a good thing. You’re doing marvelous and I think we might have unlocked one of the keys to your magic,” Lirion said.

The patience and support Lirion showed was amazing. He wasn’t rushing. He wasn’t giving Maxie hurry along vibes. He just stood there and guided Maxie step by step. Fenric felt his heart go gooey watching the man. He had a soft spot for Maxie, and frankly, watching Lirion treat him so well was like a seduction of the heart.

It had only been a few days, but seeing Lirion’s interactions with his little group—and how well he fit in—made Fenric wish they could keep him past the job. Well, maybe it was too soon to think that way. He had no idea how well Lirion would fight with them. Still, part of him enjoyed this domestic scene very much.

“Yes! Yes! This has got to be the key!” Malfas stopped dancing and frantically waved for Maxie to return to his side so he could continue cooking. “All right, now, scoop up some of this butter and put it into the pan, then stick it in the oven. Let the butter melt.”

Maxie did as directed, putting the rectangular pan inside.

Lirion jumped to his feet as if he couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. He moved away from the table to join Malfas and Maxie near the small stone oven—a recent addition so Rain could wring more muffins out of Fenric. Lirion grabbed a ladle, scooped water from their portable water barrel, and poured it into a teakettle before handing it to Maxie. “Put that on the stove, too.”

“Oh, sure? I can’t add tea leaves to this, though,” Maxie warned him. “I tried making tea and failed miserably.”

“I know. I’m testing something else.” Lirion met Malfas’s excited gaze with a giddy look of his own. Fenric found himself grinning as well. Their enthusiasm over figuring out Maxie’s magic puzzle was infectious. He could almost see the shared thoughts zipping between Malfas and Lirion.

Maxie went along with the direction, putting the teakettle on the stove.

“Butter should be melted. Pull out the pan,” Malfas said.

Maxie did as directed, pulling it out and then setting it on the eye next to the kettle. Lirion tested the butter and made a face.

“Poisonous?” Fenric guessed.

“Slightly so, but yes.” Lirion tossed the needle into the sink before he took out another and dipped it into the kettle.

That one was even more obvious. Fenric could see the needle turning black from here.

Maxie stared at both pan and kettle, jaw dropping. “Even just that?!”

“Alchemy relies upon both fire and water in order to create its magic,” Malfas stated with a nod. “I’m not surprised by these results. Frankly, water and heat are triggers for your magic to activate.”

Lirion shook his head and tossed that needle into the sink as well. “So no boiled water for you.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Maxie said with a whimper. The way he stared at Lirion and Malfas, it was like he couldn’t figure out whether to laugh or cry.

Malfas ruffled Maxie’s curls and grinned broadly. “It’s why apprentice alchemists may prep, store, and handle ingredients all day, but the second they need to use fire or water, they have a master right at their side. So, Puppy, you can help prep food in a kitchen, but don’t come near the oven at all.”

Maxie’s shoulders slumped. “Well, I guess I can brew up a poison quickly, at least. There must be an upside.”

“As we’ve explained, there are plenty of people who will pay a lot of money for an effective poison, particularly one that doesn’t look, smell, or taste like a poison. Can you imagine how hard it is to poison someone when you hand them something that smells or tastes off?” Fenric wanted to encourage him, as he seemed so disappointed right now. “And what if you find yourself in jail or captured. Those assholes are always cleaning out your pockets to make sure you don’t have anything good. What if the jailer or kidnapper just happened to find a tasty cookie in your pocket? You think that jerk isn’t going to eat it in front of you?”